In life much of what we lift and carry loads our body asymmetrically. For example, kids, grocery bags, laundry baskets, furniture, golf clubs, suitcases, frying pans, backpacks, and duffle bags do not have a symmetrical weight distribution. We also load asymmetrically with activities like shoveling, swinging golf clubs, tennis rackets, axes, and baseball bats where the distal segment is heavier than the proximal segment. Conversely, most gym and rehab equipment such as dumbbells, bar bells, medicine balls, stability balls, squat, & curl bars, etc, are symmetrical. While some equipment like aquabags and sandbags have a moving center of mass which may provide asymmetry to a movement, this type of equipment is not always consistent with function and cannot be adjusted by the user to mimic a particular activity. To strengthen, condition, and rehabilitate consistently with the way we function, we need equipment that allows us to supplement our symmetrical strengthening programs with asymmetrical exercise and conditioning, and stimulate our proprioceptors to make us more successful with the daily movements we perform. Further, for purposes of variability and versatility, equipment that allows symmetrical and asymmetrical loading would be most beneficial for the user to utilize for functional tasks.
Several pieces of exercise equipment exist which are designed to increase fitness strength and endurance. Many devices have handles in various positions and angles which allow the user to engage different muscles. These existing devices have either a fixed weight, or are designed to be weighted symmetrically with removable weights on each end of a bar. Some devices have a moving center of mass, such as a water filled bag. One problem with all of these existing types of exercise equipment is that they are not authentic to true function. In other words, they are not capable of allowing the user to mimic the asymmetrical loads a body encounters during sports movements or daily activities.
Another type of existing exercise equipment is the “duffle bag” exercise device which allows for asymmetric weighting, however, these devices do not allow for the attachment of different kinds of weights or resistance bands. Further, these types of devices do not provide selective weight distribution in multiple planes to mimic real motion and force. In addition to these prior devices being limited in their overall use, they also have a difficult time in providing resistance in the transverse plane during upright function in conjunction with activation of sagittal and frontal planes.
There is therefore a need for an improved exercise devices which overcomes these and other problems with the prior art.